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TLB's Secret Community Project - Finally Revealed

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Posts

  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    You're right Robos...let's concentrate on something more fun

    Like, what if at the height of the cold war, in response to the Sentry Protocols, the Soviets secretly launched a satellite that could give random criminals in the United States superpowers? And to up the ante, let's say the soviet satellite "persuades" these newly-empowered criminals to do as much collateral damage as possible.

    Think about it: The police are responding to what they think is just a routine domestic dispute only to find a guy shooting lasers out of his eyes pissed off at the world. Or a bank robber fleeing the authorities that suddenly discovers he can fly and a little voice in his head (with a Russian accent, natch) is instructing him on the finer arts of aerial sabotage.

    As they say, hilarity would ensue.

    That is some awesome neo-silver age whackyness I can get behind!

    DouglasDanger on
  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited July 2009
    Ah, Soviet mind control. Always entertaining.

    DJ Eebs on
  • CoJoeTheLawyerCoJoeTheLawyer Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Ah, Soviet mind control. Always entertaining.

    Not so much direct mind control: think of it as having a little Joseph Stalin in a devil’s costume on your shoulder suggesting you do bad things with your shiny new superpowers.

    "Передача Начинается…Greetings Comrade. This is Project Everyman Superpower Superman. Ve have given you flying pover so that escape and avoid gulag, Da? As token of small appreciation, kindly destroy radio tower…big trouble for moose and squirrel! Da!... Конец Передачи"
    EDIT: Do you how bloody hard it is to type in a bad Russian accent! That took me like twenty minutes, and it still isn't perfect!

    CoJoeTheLawyer on

    CoJoe.png
  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited July 2009
    I need to take that font for my superhero contest entry, I really do.

    DJ Eebs on
  • SalmonOfDoubtSalmonOfDoubt Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Or the russians could've just been dicks about it and beamed a russian accent onto Sen. McCarthy in the middle of a speech.

    SalmonOfDoubt on
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  • CoJoeTheLawyerCoJoeTheLawyer Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Or the russians could've just been dicks about it and beamed a russian accent onto Sen. McCarthy in the middle of a speech.

    Think bigger. What if in the middle of a meeting of the House Un-American Activities Committee, Sen. McCarthy secretly gets zapped by the soviets and thinks everyone else around him is speaking commie gibberish...and he just so happens to now be able to shoot napalm out of his fingertips. Capitalism's only hope would be Senator Strom Thurmond superpowered with the ability to manipulate water.

    Like I said, hilarity would ensue.

    God, I love this concept...I could spin it so many different ways.

    CoJoeTheLawyer on

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  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I was going to say eventually that he time period does not have to be set in stone, but you guys already went there! Just don't feel the need to set as many stories as possible in the past because, again since this is a group vote for what goes in, if you have too many x historical figure with powers stories a lot of them won't be chosen.

    Though I think as an added twist have the commie satellite be in orbit, but not work until modern day. Just a thought.

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • CoJoeTheLawyerCoJoeTheLawyer Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I was going to say eventually that he time period does not have to be set in stone, but you guys already went there! Just don't feel the need to set as many stories as possible in the past because, again since this is a group vote for what goes in, if you have too many x historical figure with powers stories a lot of them won't be chosen.

    Though I think as an added twist have the commie satellite be in orbit, but not work until modern day. Just a thought.

    Time period wise, if we're going by Sputnik I, the earliest that satellites could be established would be late 1950s with the mid-1960s as to when commercial satellite launches were common. However, that's way over-thinking the concept and ruining the fun.

    Let's keep it simple and absurd: Like if some joker were to register his dog in his place on the registry list and the satellite decided to utilize the dog in a pinch.

    CoJoeTheLawyer on

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  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    the earliest real satellites

    and hell it is my idea if you aren't having fun with it get out is what I say

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • muninnmuninn Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Make the time period pretty wide. That way we could have ye olde timey antics, as well as modern adventures.

    muninn on
  • WildcatWildcat Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    It's quantum, we don't need to explain it

    Wildcat on
  • RingoRingo He/Him a distinct lack of substanceRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    A satellite did it.

    Ringo on
    Sterica wrote: »
    I know my last visit to my grandpa on his deathbed was to find out how the whole Nazi werewolf thing turned out.
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  • Desktop HippieDesktop Hippie Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Well, if this were to translate to the modern day world, the Chinese would be throwing everything they have at getting their own satellite in orbit. And given the size of the Chinese population, the Americans would be dead set against them.

    There is another aspect to it though. These satellites will have to be very, very smart to talk to so many people in such a complicated way. What will happen when they start talking to each other?

    (Oh yeah, I volunteer to write for this if you're short of writers, but I have no experience and can't draw so I have no problem being low on the list.)

    Desktop Hippie on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    no you do not get to make that joke

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    it's not a shortage or dirth of writers I am worried about, it's stories

    it's an anthology after all, so everyone who thinks they can write pitch a story

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • JordynJordyn Really, Commander? Probing Uranus. Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I will probably do something for you eventually TLB.

    eeeeeeeeeeeh.....

    Jordyn on
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    JordynNolz.com <- All my blogs (Shepard, Wasted, J'onn, DCAU) are here now!
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Questions that don't really matter yet, but they might so hey:

    Is there a specific font you'll be using?

    Format/page size?

    Do you like like me? (Y/N)

    piL on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Might be entertaining to see what happened after a persons powers went away, especially if one of the powers was "flight".
    Picturing a flashback kind of thing, where the person in question is falling to his/her death after beating a random supervillian in a mid air fistfight, and seeing their life pass before their eyes. Maybe as a way of showing some backstory, the person is old, and saw the early debates on the morality of forcing regular people into being temporary superheroes, then watched the satellite being launched. He saw the first sentrys making big news, and can see how they are just another part of life on a super-powered planet now, barely more notable then a car wreck.
    It could end with a real super hero (as in, not a civilian on sentry duty[are you still using that?]) showing up just in time to save the person from a horific splattery death or, should a writer be so inclined, a horrific splattery death with a real super hero showing up just too late.

    Another story that might be interesting, what if the civilians had to select their powers when registering for sentry duty? The satellite has to choose someone at the latest threat site, but noone with a suitable power selection can be found near enough, so it has to keep sending expendable civilians at a target they've got no chance against just trying to delay it until Captain Invincible can show up and save the day. Might be a challenge to think of enough useful powers that would be useless in a specific situation though. As an example, imagine a person who can control plants trying to fight the Human Torch. It's not likely to go very well for Mr Smith, local botanist.

    edit: And I see by reading the thread that I'm not the first to imagine Joe Schmoe falling to a horrific death after serving his country.

    see317 on
  • Desktop HippieDesktop Hippie Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    see317 wrote: »
    Might be entertaining to see what happened after a persons powers went away, especially if one of the powers was "flight".

    Goddammit! I *just* submitted an idea based on this and yours is frigging better!

    Desktop Hippie on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    see317 wrote: »
    Might be entertaining to see what happened after a persons powers went away, especially if one of the powers was "flight".

    Goddammit! I *just* submitted an idea based on this and yours is frigging better!
    Salmon of Doubt posted pretty much the same thing back on page 4, as I noticed after I went and posted my idea.

    I'm curious as to what your idea was. Tell me, I promise I won't steal it, rewrite it to make it a million times more awesome and then submit it as my own. This is an easy promise to make because I'm fucking lazy.

    see317 on
  • Desktop HippieDesktop Hippie Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    see317 wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Might be entertaining to see what happened after a persons powers went away, especially if one of the powers was "flight".

    Goddammit! I *just* submitted an idea based on this and yours is frigging better!
    Salmon of Doubt posted pretty much the same thing back on page 4, as I noticed after I went and posted my idea.

    I'm curious as to what your idea was. Tell me, I promise I won't steal it, rewrite it to make it a million times more awesome and then submit it as my own. This is an easy promise to make because I'm fucking lazy.

    Ha! Nah, it's cool. I fully admit to not being very good at this.

    The idea was a straightforward face-off between a young guy zapped for the first time, and a scientist who uses a robot suit to give himself superpowers (they called me mad, the fools!) and ends up causing chaos. The character would be very Jaime Reyes - likeable, decent, inexperienced hero type. The story would be very straighforward until the very end, when he uses the ability to fly to defeat the bad guy - which immediately causes his powers to cut out so he plunges to his death.

    My idea was that the hero would be set up to be the, well, hero, and would be someone the readers would expect (or hopefully like) to see more of. Then he would die. I may have watched a bit too much Joss Whedon. I think the scientist would end up becoming something of a regular though, feeling horribly guilty that his invention caused the death of a "mere child" (yes, the hero would be 18 but we're talking crazy old scientist here) - which in turn becomes rage against the satellite and what the scientist considers its disregard for the lives of its sentries. That's all.

    Desktop Hippie on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Since everyone's posting ideas for their stories, here's one I've got in mind.

    Story opens on a regular dude sitting on his fire escape, listening to a police scanner, and writing in his journal, which serves as the narration for the story. His writes that he's always wanted to be a superhero and how, since the launch of the satellites, he's dedicated all his free time to sitting around, listening to a police scanner for supervillain activity that he can intercede in. He rambles for a bit about how he's gotten close a few times, only to be stopped by other circumstances; stuck in traffic, flat tire on his car, fell asleep, etc. his narration them flows into a full on wish-fulfillment fantasy about what it'll be like when he finally gets zapped.

    How he'll arrive on the scene, just as a "real" superhero, the greatest in all the city, has fallen. How he'll pummel the villain, even as he, outclassed and outmatched, gets brutalized in return, with their fight ending in one titanic, Superman/Doomsday exchange of blows, which ultimately results in his own death, as he rests in the arms of a very grateful, very attractive, civilian. "It's cool though," he muses, "Everyone knows all the great superheroes never stay dead. They always come back. And me? I'm going to be the best."

    The twist would be that, interspersed with his fantasy, would be silent panels of him reacting with excitement to the police scanner, running down his fire escape, finding a supervillain robbing a bank, getting zapped with powers, and then having an extremely ugly, very un-comic book-like, knock-down, drag-out fight that ends with both parties laying sprawled out among the debris, the "hero" looking around the crowd of wary onlookers, his swollen eyes finally shutting, leaving the reader unsure of whether he survived the fight.

    Title: Heroic Bloodshed

    A bit melodramatic, but I see a big, superpower-grantin' satellite as being Superhero Fan Wish Fulfillment 101, and I think that acknowledging, and then subverting that, could be kind of interesting. But I've been wrong before.

    Munch on
  • FaynorFaynor Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Ah, Munch. I was totally thinking of an idea where a person actively pursues trouble so he can get Sentry Duty. But he would be more doing it for the rush, and would eventually get addicted!

    Edit: But that's okay, because TLB said no Faynor stories because he doesn't want people to remember me after I die.

    Faynor on
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  • RingoRingo He/Him a distinct lack of substanceRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    So what you're saying is, you can submit as many Faynor stories as you want... as long as you never die?

    Seems to me that all you need is a buncha dudes to kill for your Immortality Potion, Faynor.

    Ringo on
    Sterica wrote: »
    I know my last visit to my grandpa on his deathbed was to find out how the whole Nazi werewolf thing turned out.
    Edcrab's Exigency RPG
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Faynor wrote: »
    Ah, Munch. I was totally thinking of an idea where a person actively pursues trouble so he can get Sentry Duty. But he would be more doing it for the rush, and would eventually get addicted!

    It does seem like the concept lends itself well to the idea. I mean, if someone told me I could get temporary superpowers if I happened to stand near a supervillain while he was tearing shit up, I'd have a hard time resisting the urge to give it a shot. You only live once and all that.

    Munch on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    munch for your idea, send me an outline detailing everything that would happen in the story - I really like it.

    and jordyn you better do this

    you better.

    see, the picking a power as you register was an idea I toyed with originally, but I think people being dumb on the fly just lends itself to serving the characters more.

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    look there are no faynor stories ever

    unless they are really good and I can steal them and say they were my own

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited July 2009
    I need an editor to make me write

    Garlic Bread on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    keith write or I will kick your ass

    and i am short so it will be extra embarrassing if I do

    your deadline is tuesday

    do it

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited July 2009
    keith write or I will kick your ass

    and i am short so it will be extra embarrassing if I do

    your deadline is tuesday

    do it

    give me your money and your tiny titans sketches and you won't get hurt

    Garlic Bread on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Keith wrote: »
    keith write or I will kick your ass

    and i am short so it will be extra embarrassing if I do

    your deadline is tuesday

    do it

    give me your money and your tiny titans sketches and you won't get hurt

    oh no my one weakness

    The Lovely Bastard on
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  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Munch wrote: »
    Faynor wrote: »
    Ah, Munch. I was totally thinking of an idea where a person actively pursues trouble so he can get Sentry Duty. But he would be more doing it for the rush, and would eventually get addicted!

    It does seem like the concept lends itself well to the idea. I mean, if someone told me I could get temporary superpowers if I happened to stand near a supervillain while he was tearing shit up, I'd have a hard time resisting the urge to give it a shot. You only live once and all that.

    I had a similar idea, but it involved a guy creating accidents in order to be given powers. It wouldn't work the first few times because better candidates were in the area.

    I think it would end with him driving a bus full of kids off a cliff, and then all the kids gain powers and fly away and he ends up crashing.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Munch wrote: »
    Faynor wrote: »
    Ah, Munch. I was totally thinking of an idea where a person actively pursues trouble so he can get Sentry Duty. But he would be more doing it for the rush, and would eventually get addicted!

    It does seem like the concept lends itself well to the idea. I mean, if someone told me I could get temporary superpowers if I happened to stand near a supervillain while he was tearing shit up, I'd have a hard time resisting the urge to give it a shot. You only live once and all that.

    I had a similar idea, but it involved a guy creating accidents in order to be given powers. It wouldn't work the first few times because better candidates were in the area.

    I think it would end with him driving a bus full of kids off a cliff, and then all the kids gain powers and fly away and he ends up crashing.

    Mr. Glass, minus the crippling infirmity?

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
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  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Pretty much, though the premise allows the character to seek power for himself rather than seeking it in others.

    Anyway, I'm going to try to think of something else, but after I'm done hashing out the details of my Silver Age hero entry of course.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • UnbrokenEvaUnbrokenEva HIGH ON THE WIRE BUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I would like to do this. I will be more specific if I have an idea that I'm not too embarassed by.

    UnbrokenEva on
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I had an idea for a villain named Doctor Correspondent who lured these temporary superheroes into causing horrible collateral damage and even killed themselves for his news story on the evils of the Sentry Duty program. He's also a robot super-genius that makes giant robots because giant robots are pretty cool.

    piL on
  • HenslerHensler Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    All Silver Age books need AT LEAST one robot making evil super genius.

    Hensler on
  • Sars_BoySars_Boy Rest, You Are The Lightning. Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    TLB give me a deadline i can ignore

    Sars_Boy on
  • squidbunnysquidbunny Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    A squillion pages ago someone suggested creating a wiki for this. As someone who's frequently failed in the struggle to organize larger scale collaborations I second the fuck out of this. It's what wikis were created for. I learned this on NPR.

    squidbunny on
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  • Me Too!Me Too! __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2009
    TLB I'm gonna make a Blackwulf analog you just watch me

    Me Too! on
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